Q: Do I have to purchase a continuity tester to tell which items are conductive and can be plated?
A: No. The red accented Personal Plater can be used as a continuity tester. To do this, install a 9 volt battery into the Personal Plater and remove the cotton anode sleeve from the stainless anode shaft. Touch the work piece in question with the tip of the Personal Plater anode shaft and at the same time touch the work piece with the alligator clip. If the item is conductive, the red indicator light on the Personal Plater will go out. If the red indicator light stays on during the test, the item is non-conductive.

Q: Why do some items take longer to remove the chrome then others?
A: The thickness of the chrome layer varies from individual manufacturers. The thicker the chrome the longer it takes to remove it. Take your time, proper chrome removal is the key to a perfect job.

Q: Do I use the Personal Chrome Remover or Personal Activator when I gold plate to copper, silver or brass?
A: No. There is no chrome to remove on copper, silver or brass; therefore, the gold can be plated directly on the metal with the red accented Personal Plater. Note: for the best shine on these metals, it is recommended to buff the work piece first with Gold Remover/ Surface Prep compound.

Q: I gold plated a quarter from my pocket and it appeared gold in color but had a dull shine. Why?
A: The quarter should have been polished and buffed to the desired shine with the Gold Remover Surface Prep compound before plating. Remember, if the work piece starts with a mirror like finish, the gold plating will have a mirror like final finish. Gold Remover/Surface Prep compound is ideal to shine metal before gold plating.

Q: How long will the gold last that I deposit with my Personal Plater?
A: With proper care, the gold should last a lifetime. Use One-Step Gold Conditioner regularly to maintain your gold finish. By nature, gold does not tarnish or corrode; however, depending on how it is taken care of, it could show signs of wear. In these situations, simply touch up the gold finish with the Personal Plater after polishing with the One-Step Gold Conditioner.

Q: Should I leave the solution bottles attached to the personal plating tools after use?
A: Yes. It is ok to leave the solution bottles attached to the plating tools between jobs. However, if no plating is anticipated in several weeks; it is recommended to rinse the sleeves clean with water and allow them to dry while attached to their respective plating tools. Keeping the sleeves in the solution for extended periods of time can cause the sleeve material to soften and wear prematurely. When it is time to use your plating system again just unscrew the bottle caps and re-attach the solution bottles to the correct plating tool.

Q: Can the plating process be performed directly on the car, without damage to the painted surface?
A: Yes. The solutions are all water based and specially formulated not to harm automotive paint. However, the solutions should NOT be left on the finish and allowed to dry. Simply rinse the work area thoroughly and dry completely after gold plating. It is always a good idea to apply a protective coating of the One-Step Gold Conditioner to the work piece and surrounding area. One-Step is perfect for use on automotive finishes.

Q: Should I be careful as to what materials I allow the solutions to come in contact with?
A: Yes. It’s possible that an item you wish to gold plate may have a surrounding material that could be affected by the solutions. It is always a good practice to isolate the metal work piece from the surrounding material by simply removing it or masking the surrounding material, so that it’s not affected. Here is a good example: You wish to gold plate a 22 cal. chrome pistol. The pistol has an ivory inlay on each side of the handle. It is not known if the ivory will be affected by the solutions (probably not) however; it is easy to unscrew and remove the ivory inlays so there is no concern. All the solutions in the kit are water based and have been tested and found harmless on many materials such as automotive paint, glass, fiberglass, porcelain and a host of others. However, there are an unlimited number of gold plating applications with an unlimited number of possible surrounding materials. So if you are unsure if the solutions will have an affect on surrounding material, test it, mask it or remove it!